FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.23.1

श्रीगोपा ऊचु: राम राम महाबाहो कृष्ण दुष्टनिबर्हण । एषा वै बाधते क्षुन्नस्तच्छान्तिं कर्तुमर्हथ: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-gopa ūcuḥ
[shree-gopa oochuh]
rāma rāma mahā-bāho
[raama raama mahaa-baaho]
kṛṣṇa duṣṭa-nibarhaṇa
[krishna dushta-nibarhana]
eṣā vai bādhate kṣun nas
[eshaa vai baadhate kshun nas]
tac-chāntiṁ kartum arhathaḥ
[tach-chaantim kartum arhathah]
Word-for-word
śrī - gopāḥ ūcuḥ — the cowherd boys said rāma rāma — O Lord Rāma, Lord Rāma mahā - bāho — O mighty-armed one kṛṣṇa — O Lord Kṛṣṇa duṣṭa — of the wicked nibarhaṇa — O destroyer eṣā — this vai — indeed bādhate — is causing distress kṣut — hunger naḥ — to us tat - śāntim — its counteraction kartum arhathaḥ — You ought to do .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-gopa ūcuḥ
śrī - gopāḥ ūcuḥ
the cowherd boys said
rāma rāma mahā-bāho
rāma rāma
O Lord Rāma, Lord Rāma
mahā - bāho
O mighty-armed one
kṛṣṇa duṣṭa-nibarhaṇa
kṛṣṇa
O Lord Kṛṣṇa
duṣṭa
of the wicked
nibarhaṇa
O destroyer
eṣā vai bādhate kṣun nas
eṣā
this
vai
indeed
bādhate
is causing distress
kṣut
hunger
naḥ
to us
tac-chāntiṁ kartum arhathaḥ
tat - śāntim
its counteraction
kartum arhathaḥ
You ought to do .
Important Words
  • rāma — O Lord Rāma
    The cowherd boys address Balarāma first — Gauḍīyas read this as ādi-guru-tattva: Balarāma is Saṅkarṣaṇa, the original spiritual master, approached before Kṛṣṇa Himself.
  • kṛṣṇa — O Lord Kṛṣṇa
    Kṛṣ + ṇa — root √kṛṣ meaning 'to attract' or 'to plow.' Even hunger becomes a string by which Kṛṣṇa is attracted to His friends. The name itself is the kīrtana-anchor of this entire līlā.
  • duṣṭa-nibarhaṇa — O destroyer of the wicked
    Compound: duṣṭa (wicked) + nibarhaṇa (destroyer). The boys playfully treat their own hunger as a duṣṭa Kṛṣṇa is duty-bound to slay — sakhya-bhakti permits this teasing logic with Bhagavān.
  • kṣut — hunger
    The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka calls hunger man's worst enemy; the boys lift this śruti and turn it into a request. Even the body's gnawing is shaped into an occasion to call on Kṛṣṇa.
  • bādhate — is causing distress
    Present tense — the suffering is right now, not theoretical. Sakhya-bhakti speaks to Kṛṣṇa in the present tense; problems are reported, not philosophized.
The cowherd boys said: O Rāma, Rāma, mighty-armed one! O Kṛṣṇa, chastiser of the wicked! We are being harassed by hunger, and You should do something about it.
Purport

The cowherd boys jokingly implied that since Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the subduer of all bad things, the Lord should subdue their hunger by arranging for them to eat. In this statement by the cowherd boys, we observe the intimate loving friendship they enjoyed with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The cowherd boys said: O Rāma, Rāma, mighty-armed one! O Kṛṣṇa, chastiser of the wicked ! We are being harassed by hunger, and You should do something about it.
Commentary

This chapter describes how the cowherd boys went to the brahmanas performing sacrifice to ask for food, how they were disrespected and how they went to the wives of the brahmanas and gained their affection. After this the brahmanas repented. The sruti says: hunger is man’s worst enemy. If you can destroy our hunger now, then you will be successful in conquering this enemy. This is their logic.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Being hunger, taking support of their friendly mood, not giving heed to the fact that trees yielded all good and that men should also give all things, the boys begged Kṛṣṇa for food when he brought them to another forest. O Rāma, you should give us enjoyment! They repeat his name out of hunger. O Balarāma with strong arms, you are capable of anything! Another version has mahā-vīrya, with the same meaning. O Kṛṣṇa, form of the highest bliss! It is not proper that your followers should suffer. Being more specific they say “O chastiser of the wicked!” Śruti says kṣut khalu vai manuṣyasya bhrātṛvyaḥ: hunger is the enemy of mankind. Destroy this hunger which is giving us pain. They pray to both out of affection. They call Balarāma first and repeatedly since Kṛṣṇa is pleased when Balarāma is respected, following the rules of etiquette. Kṛṣṇa also instructs them to do this in verse 4. This hunger we are experiencing to be intolerable. You are capable of giving it relief. You must do this. In reality this is just play.

Related values & verses
Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Apaishunam (Non-slander)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Bhakti (Devotion)
Related verses
BG 12.13 BG 17.20 BG 2.62 BG 3.11 BG 12.3 BG 8.2 BG 17.4 BG 7.8 BG 6.1 BG 16.4
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
'O Rāma, O Kṛṣṇa, chastiser of the wicked — we're harassed by hunger; do something!' The boys joke-pray: subdue our hunger as You subdue the demons. Intimate friendship dares to make ordinary needs into divine requests.
Reflection Questions
  • What ordinary need have I been embarrassed to bring as a friend's request to Kṛṣṇa?
  • Where could a touch of playful framing make my prayer more honest?
Analogy

Like cowherd boys who, mid-game, turn to their friend Kṛṣṇa and complain of hunger, the sakhya-bhakta does not stand on ceremony with the Lord. The hunger of the body becomes one more reason to call out His name with intimate boldness.

Stories
Sudāmā's parched rice

When his impoverished friend Sudāmā arrived in Dvārakā with a knotted cloth of broken rice, Kṛṣṇa snatched it with delight and ate handful after handful — the hunger of His sakhā was His own hunger.

The cowherd boys of this verse occupy that same friendship-rasa: they tell Kṛṣṇa their stomachs hurt with no apology, and He goes to work for them at once.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 23